


don't forget me

by kyaaaana



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 15:11:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18390914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyaaaana/pseuds/kyaaaana
Summary: Jiwoo makes Jungeun feel a lot of things.





	don't forget me

Jungeun let out a sigh as she stepped out into the courtyard of the hospital, taking a drink from the juice she bought from the cafeteria. The sun shone down on her and she took a look around at the various patients enjoying their time with fresh air and natural light. She walked over to an empty bench and sat down.

 

In the midst of taking another drink, someone had joined her. 

 

“Why are you sitting alone, doctor?”

 

Jungeun almost choked on her juice from surprise. She hit her chest to help her before turning to see a girl with a worried face. 

  
“Oh no, I didn’t mean to surprise you, doctor!” The girl reached out a hand but pulled it back.

 

“No, no, you’re fine!” Jungeun responded. “I was just surprised is all, no harm done!”

 

Jungeun smiled at the patient who in turn smiled back, the purest smile that Jungeun had seen in her life.

 

“What’s your name, doctor?” The girl asked.

 

“Kim Jungeun, and I’m not a doctor yet. I’m doing my residency right now.” Jungeun nodded. “What about you? What’s your name?”

 

“I’m Kim Jiwoo!” Jiwoo held up her fist with her bright smile. “Double Kim!”

 

Jungeun chuckled at that. “And I assume you’re a patient here?”

 

Jiwoo nodded. “Yep, nothing really serious though. Which wing of the hospital do you usually work in?”

 

“I work with the children. There’s the usual broken bones because of how fun they’re playing, but it sometimes makes my heart hurt because some of them are so young and have serious illnesses. But they’re so resilient and always so happy! They’re the best part of my day.” Without knowing, Jungeun was smiling widely while thinking of her patients. 

 

“I love the children here! They’re so fun to be with! I met one last year-- her name was Yeojin-- she had broken her arm because she fell from a tree. She was so funny and smart! She also had a pet snail!” Jiwoo laughed. “I wonder what she’s up to nowadays.”

 

Jungeun smiled, knowing that someone else loved the kids as much as she did. 

 

“Well, I have to go back in now. Have to take my meds and have check ups.” Jiwoo stood up from the bench and waved at Jungeun before skipping away. “See you soon, Jungeun!”

* * *

 

The next time Jungeun saw Jiwoo was two days later in the courtyard. Jiwoo was looking at the flowers that were beginning to bloom. 

 

“You like flowers?” Jungeun asked when she got there.

 

Jiwoo jumped and Jungeun laughed. “Guess we’re even now. But yeah, I love flowers. They’re so pretty!”

 

Jungeun smiled. “Are you usually outside at this time?”

 

Jiwoo nodded. “The nurses let me come outside because they say the fresh air will do me some good!”

 

They stood in a comfortable silence until Jungeun spoke up again. “Jiwoo, what are you admitted in the hospital for?”

 

The red-headed girl hummed as she thought. “I don’t really remember, but I do know that I’ll be out of here soon. Less than a year to go! The doctors and nurses just want to keep me here so they can do some more tests.”

 

“Ahh, I see.” Jungeun nodded. She made a mental note to look at Jiwoo’s file later, but with her being a resident and younger, she was sure it would be hard to bypass all the senior doctors. Some of them were real asses. “Do you have a phone, Jiwoo? I don’t get to come out here often since I’m usually caring for the kids, so maybe we could text each other or call each other sometimes?”

 

“I do!”

 

Jungeun pulled out her phone and Jiwoo put her number in. “Well, I have to go do some check ups on some kids, I’ll message you later?”

 

Jiwoo nodded, “Yes! Go take care of them! Tell them I said hi!”

 

Later that afternoon, Jungeun looked at the Jiwoo’s contact information to see that Jiwoo had added two hearts to her name. Jungeun let out a soft chuckle and sent her a message. 

 

_ [jungeun]: hi jiwoo, it’s jungeun! _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: aaaa hello! _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: it’s great having someone to talk to! _

 

_ [jungeun]: do your friends not visit you? _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: no, not really. i kind of don’t have friends? well, i didn’t get the chance to, anyway. i was starting uni but i was admitted here before i could make any new friends _

 

_ [jungeun]: how old are you? _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: im 20! _

 

_ [jungeun]: no way, me too! _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: whaaaat? same age friends! woowww and you’re already in residency! you’re so smart! _

 

_ [jungeun]: not even, just lots of hard work and sleepless nights and student debt lol _

 

_ [jungeun]: what did you want to become? _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: a singer! well, i guess i can still do that, but i don’t have my instruments here with me _

 

_ [jungeun]: a singer!? remind me to ask you to sing for me at least once _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: nooooo i’m not really that good of a singer! _

 

_ [jungeun]: i will be the judge of that when i hear you sing! _

 

_ [jungeun]: but gotta go back to work, talk to you later! don’t get too bored! _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: alright, have fun with the kids! _

 

* * *

They had been talking everyday for a week, and they’d gotten closer with each other. It was as if they’d been friends for years. And after learning that Jiwoo wanted to be a singer, Jungeun had made it her goal to hear Jiwoo sing. 

 

_ [jungeun]: come to the courtyard i have something to show you! _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: okokok cominggg _

 

Jungeun sat on the bench with a wrapped box next to her. She had made time to go to the music store and pick up a guitar. She’d used her paycheck and a little it of her savings to get this for Jiwoo. 

 

“Jungeun? What’s this?” Jiwoo motioned to the wrapped box before sitting down next to Jungeun.

 

Jungeun only smiled. “It’s for you. Open it.”

 

“It’s not my birthday though.” Jiwoo sheepishly smiled. 

 

“I just wanted to do something nice!” Jungeun sucked her teeth and feigned a pout.

 

Jiwoo laughed and placed a hand on the box. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yes! Now open it before I take it back!” Jungeun turned to face Jiwoo, her smile wide.

 

“Okay, okay. I’ll open it.” Jiwoo ripped the wrapper off and when she saw the cover of the box her jaw dropped. “Jungeun, you didn’t.”

 

“Keep going!”

 

Jiwoo laid the box down and opened it, moving the bubble wrap and picking up the guitar. “It’s beautiful, Jungeun, you shouldn’t have.”

 

“But I did! Because I wanted you to become a singer! And although you might not be in the spotlight yet, this is a step. I wanted to be nice and get you a guitar that you can have here.” Jungeun smiled. “Go on, try it out!”

 

“It must have been expensive, Jungeun.” Jiwoo bit her lip. “I can’t.”

 

“Jiwoo! I  _ wanted _ to get this for you. Don’t worry about the price. I’m good friends with the owner of the music shop, so I got it at a pretty good price.” 

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Jungeun nodded. “A hundred and ten percent sure, Jiwoo!”

 

Jiwoo ran her fingers along the neck of the guitar before placing them in the formation of a chord. Her right hand softly strummed, still hesitant. 

 

Jungeun’s smile got wider (if it could) and she urged Jiwoo to play. “Play me a song!”

 

There was a moment before Jiwoo started plucking chords. Then she started softly singing, the song taking a moment to register in Jungeun’s mind. IU’s “Peach.”

 

Jiwoo finished with a laugh and now she was practically bouncing in her seat. “Aaaaa, I’m a bit rusty, so I hope I can practice some more.”

 

“You call  _ that  _ rusty? That was amazing, Jiwoo!” Jungeun clasped her hands together. “You have such a nice voice, I like it!”

 

“Really?” Jiwoo smiled widely, a blush coming onto her face. “Thank you, Jungeun. I’ll play for you another time!”

 

“Please do! I think the kids would like it too so maybe we can plan something for them?”

 

Jiwoo nodded ecstatically. “That would be so fun!” She then looked down at the box, then at her guitar, then back at the box. 

 

Jungeun noticed and furrowed her brows. “You okay there, Jiwoo?”

 

“Just wondering what I’m going to do with the box.” She puffed her cheeks out and Jungeun swore her heart somersaulted. She could feel her ears get hot.

 

“I-if there’s nothing else you need in there, I can take the box and toss it in the big recycling.”

 

At that, Jiwoo lit up. “You will!?”

 

Jungeun nodded, “Yeah, it’s no problem at all!”

 

“Thanks, Jungeun!” Jiwoo set her guitar aside and jumped at Jungeun, enveloping her into a tight hug. This caught Jungeun off guard and her heartbeat skyrocketed. Why? She didn’t know. She hesitantly brought her hands up and patted Jiwoo’s back. 

 

“Jiwoo, I can’t breathe.”

 

“Ah!” Jiwoo let go of her and she coughed a bit, taking in a deep breath. “Sorry about that!”

 

Jungeun waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it!” She checked her watch for the time before standing up and stretching, bending down to pick up the box. “Well, I have to get going now, see you sometimes, Jiwoo!”

 

“Yeah, I’ll text you tonight!”

* * *

 

Jungeun and Jiwoo had been texting for about a month now, and they had become a normal thing for each other.

 

It was safe to say that they were each other’s favorite part of the day. It was even safer to say that they had quickly become each other’s favorite person. 

 

Whenever Jungeun would be texting Jiwoo, the other residents would tease her. Especially Jinsoul. 

 

Just like now. 

 

“You texting Jiwoo again?” Jinsoul said over Jungeun’s shoulder. Which caused Jungeun to jump. Which caused her shoulder to hit Jinsoul’s chin. 

 

“ _ God, _ Jinsoul. You need to stop scaring me like that!”

 

Jinsoul held her chin but grinned. “You didn’t answer my question, Jungeun.”

 

“Mind your business!” Jungeun shoved her phone into her coat pocket. “And why do you care if it is?”

 

Jinsoul shrugged and paged through the papers on her clipboard. “Just seems like you have a crush on her is all.”

 

“I- I- I don’t have a crush on her! We’re just good friends!” Jungeun mentally facepalmed for her stuttering. 

 

“Mhm.” Jinsoul nodded. “You don’t have a crush on her, and that’s why your ears are red and why you stuttered. Classic panic gay.”

 

This earned a laugh from Kahei, the front desk nurse. “Jungeun, have you ever really thought about it? Maybe you do have a crush on her.”

 

Jungeun shook her head with a laugh. “I do not. And that’s that. I will not be thinking about it. See you two later, I have to go see the kids.”

 

That night, despite what she had told the two, she did think about it. She thought about how her heart soared when she first saw Jiwoo’s smile. She thought about how she’d smile every time her phone sounded with a text from Jiwoo. How Jiwoo’s singing was something she could listen to for the rest of her life. How cute Jiwoo looked when her cheeks were puffed. She especially thought about how warm it was when Jiwoo hugged her.

 

_ Shit. _

 

The next morning, Jungeun walked up to Kahei and Jinsoul who were talking at the front desk. “Maybe I do, what about it?” 

 

They both looked at her in confusion.

 

“Nothing! Nevermind!” She turned around and left, making her way to the children’s ward.

* * *

 

“Alright, kids! Today we have a special guest!” Jungeun spoke to the kids in a cutesy voice, something she hoped Jinsoul would never see because she would be teased to no end.

 

“Who is it!?” One kid asked, and everybody else began asking the same question. 

 

“She came here to sing for us!” 

 

The kids cheered and Jungeun looked towards the door, motioning for Jiwoo to come in. 

 

When Jiwoo came in, Jungeun patted the chair next to her. 

 

“Miss you’re so pretty!”

 

“What’s your name!?”

 

“Are you Jungeun noona’s girlfriend!?”

 

At that question, the two of them blushed. Jungeun put a finger to her lips to quiet the kids and they all put hands over their mouths. 

 

“I’m Jiwoo!” She strummed her guitar once to make sure it was tuned. “Are you guys ready to sing?”

 

All the kids nodded and cheered. “I’m sure you guys know this song! Everybody does!”

 

Jiwoo began playing and singing, the kids singing along.

 

“Sarangeul haetta, uriga manna~”

 

Jungeun smiled and she couldn’t help but sing along with them.

 

“Jiuji mothal chueogi dwaetda~”

 

Their singing garnered the attention of nurses passing by and some came in to join them. 

 

“Uriga mandeun lo-o-ove scenario, ijen jomyeo-o-ongi kkeojigo~”

 

Admittedly, the kids were horrible at singing, but it was the fact that they were having fun that filled Jungeun’s heart with joy. When the song was finished, Jiwoo was the first to clap, squealing, and the kids began to applaud.

 

“One more song Miss Jiwoo!”

 

“One more?” Jiwoo chuckled, “What should we sing?”

 

“Winner!” A kid shouted out. “Really Really!”

 

“Ahhh,” Jiwoo nodded. “Okay! I don’t know the whole song so we can sing a little part together, okay?”

 

All the kids nodded in reply, readying themselves. 

 

Jiwoo started strumming and singing. “Jigeum nae nune jeil areumdaun geon neoya lady, oh yeah~”

 

The kids joined her when they figured out where she was singing from, and Jiwoo turned to face Jungeun for the next part. “Neol hyanghan nae mami donimyeon ama, nan billionaire~ neol johahae.”

 

“Really, really, really, really~” 

 

Jungeun’s breath was taken away, and she didn’t want to overthink about Jiwoo singing that while looking at her, but her heart was doing something else. Her heart wanted to believe it. But she brushed it off. 

 

“Wooowwww!” Jungeun clapped when they finished singing. “Let’s all say thank you to Jiwoo for coming to sing to us today!”

 

The kids shouted out their thank yous and stood up to bow. Jungeun was genuinely surprised at that; she’d never seen them that polite before, but she contributed that to the fact that they had known her for a longer time and liked teasing her.

 

Jiwoo spent some time with the kids while Jungeun did her check ups with some of them and when Jiwoo had to leave, all the kids crowded her to hug her. When she did leave, they all crowded Jungeun. 

 

“Jungeun is that your girlfriend!?”

 

Yet again, these kids continued to surprise her. She shook her head. “N-No, Miss Jiwoo is not my girlfriend!”

 

“Awww, she’s so cute! I’ll make her my girlfriend then!” A kid shouted back.

 

“Beat it kid! You’re too young to date!” Jungeun scrunched her nose before laughing and ruffling the kid’s hair.

 

After finishing with the kids, she went back to the front desk. “What does it mean when someone turns to face you while singing the lines, ‘if my feelings for you were money, i’m a billionaire, i like you?’”

 

Jinsoul and Kahei cocked their heads to the side.

 

“What are you talking about, Jungeun?” Kahei asked.

 

There was silence before Jinsoul clapped her hands together. “ _ Oohhhhh, _ so  _ that’s _ what you meant last week oh my god!” Jinsoul laughed, “I knew it, I totally knew it. But it means that they like you? Obviously?”

 

Jungeun thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. “No, not plausible.” She didn’t give them a chance to reply, leaving them.

 

She was eating lunch when her phone buzzed. 

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: you know i meant it, right? when i was singing to you. _

 

_ [jungeun]: what are you talking about? _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: when i sang that line from really really. i meant it. _

 

_ [jungeun]: i-  _

 

_ [jungeun]: im not good at this, jiwoo.  _

 

_ [jungeun]: can you spell it out for me? _

 

Jungeun wasn’t one to send multiple texts at a time, but she couldn’t form words from her thoughts and she didn’t want to keep Jiwoo waiting. 

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: lol _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: i like you, dummy. even though we’ve only known each other about a month, i like you a lot.  _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: and you’re supposed to be the smart one here :P _

 

She dropped her spoon onto her tray, the clattering sound drawing attention from others who were in the cafeteria. She bowed in apology and took her tray away. 

 

_ [jungeun]: really? _

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: really really. _

 

* * *

It’d been a week since JIwoo’s confession, but Jungeun had yet to confess her own. She  _ did _ feel the same, but she wasn’t sure if it was okay to  _ be _ feeling the same in their situation. A doctor-patient relationship wasn’t really looked well upon. But her feelings were growing stronger day by day.

 

Jungeun sighed and sat up in her bed, looking at the clock. 3:43 AM. The lamp was still on and one of the residents had fallen asleep at a desk. Jungeun had to be up at five, so she laid back down and willed herself to go back to sleep. However, it was to no avail. She kept tossing and turning and at one point, she’d made up her mind to just get up. She didn’t want to keep moving and disturb the person sleeping on the top bunk. 

 

She got out of bed and got ready, yawning as she walked through the hallways and greeted the nurses. She got herself a coffee from the cafeteria and made her way to the front desk, waving at Sooyoung who had started her shift.

 

“You’re up early. Or did you even go to sleep?”

 

Jungeun yawned again. “I tried to sleep. Couldn’t. Kept tossing and turning. Didn’t want to wake up Yerim who has top bunk. You know how she can be without her sleep. So here I am, bright and early.”

 

Sooyoung raised a brow. “Restless? Something on your mind?”

 

“Actually,” Jungeun leaned against the counter, “Yeah. I… I think I like someone? And I know they like me back too, but I just. What will the people say?”

 

“Elaborate? What do you mean?”

 

“Okay, don’t tell anyone else. I mean, you can talk about this with Kahei and Jinsoul because they know, but. A month ago I met this girl named Jiwoo, she’s a patient here. And we’ve been texting and yesterday she came by the children’s ward to sing for the kids. And while singing Winner’s ‘Really Really’ she sang a line while looking at me and then she tested me that she meant what she sang and I--”

 

“Woah, woah. Slow down Jungeun.” Sooyoung held a hand up. “Take a breath. If she really meant it, and if you’re sure about your feelings, go for it! There’s nothing worse than not taking a chance. Who cares? It’s not like Jiwoo is going to be in the hospital forever.”

 

Jungeun broke into a wide smile. Sooyoung was right. Who cares? And if they did, they needed to mind their own business. Jungeun made a resolve. She would tell Jiwoo about her feelings later today.

 

When later today came, Jungeun was having second thoughts. What if Jiwoo had already moved on because she thought Jungeun didn’t feel the same? What if Jiwoo had already been discharged and Jungeun couldn’t tell her in person? She paced back and forth at the front desk. 

 

“Jungeun, don’t worry.” Kahei spoke, her eyes not leaving the computer screen as she put in some stuff.

 

“Yeah, it’ll be fine!” Jinsoul added.

 

“I don’t know.” Jungeun started, “What if she’s not here anymore?”

 

“Oh, she’s here. I saw her walk by earlier. She said she was going to the courtyard.” Kahei turned her attention to Jungeun. “Let me put it this way, Jungeun. The sooner you confess, the sooner you can stop feeling anxious and nervous.  _ And _ the sooner you two can be happy with each other and do couple things like hold hands.”

 

Jinsoul nodded. “She’s got a point. I know  _ I _ tease you a lot, but she really does make you happy, Jungeun. I can see it.”

 

“You’re right.” Jungeun nodded, her confidence soaring with the other two’s supportive words. “Thank you girls! I will be back and I will be a taken woman!”

 

She turned around and walked off the the courtyard. 

 

“Yeah, go and get your girl!” Kahei shouted after her.

 

Jinsoul joined in, “Be the confident gay you were meant to be!”

 

At that, Jungeun walked even faster, not wanting attention to be on her. 

 

Once she got to the courtyard, she took in a deep breath of the fresh air to calm herself down. She spotted Jiwoo sitting at the bench they first met at. Jungeun walked over.

 

“You here alone?” Jungeun took a seat next to Jiwoo, chuckling. 

 

“Jungeun!” Jiwoo smiled widely. 

 

“I actually came here to tell you something!” Jungeun’s heart was beating faster than it ever had, and her hands were starting to shake. The adrenaline began to run through her veins. She took a deep breath. “I actually like you too. A lot. And if you really meant it that day, then I hope we can be something more.”

 

“Of course, Jungie!” Jiwoo immediately covered her mouth after that. “Oops, that nickname wasn’t supposed to come out.”

 

“Don’t worry, I like it. It’s cute.” Jungeun smiled before gingerly reaching out her hand. “Can… Can we hold hands?”

 

Jiwoo nodded and took Jungeun’s hand into her own, and the warmth from Jiwoo’s hand instantly spread throughout Jungeun. 

 

They sat like that for a while, in comfortable silence, hand in hand.

 

* * *

“Hey, you want to go out to lunch with us today?” Jinsoul asked.

 

“Can’t, I’m having lunch with Jiwoo in the cafeteria.”

 

“How long have you two been dating now? Three weeks?”

 

Jungeun shrugged, despite the big grin on her face. “A month, four days, and..” She took a look at her watch, “Sixteen hours.”

 

“ _ Wow. _ You’re really keeping track huh.” Jinsoul nodded in amazement. “I think me and Seul have been going out for four years? I think? I lost track.” Jinsoul shrugged and put on her sweater. “Well, Me, Kahei, Yerim, and Park Sooyoung are going to go out for lunch. We’ll maybe bring back something for you.” Jinsoul laughed and went off.

 

“Have a nice lunch!” Jungeun called after her.

 

“Yeah, you too!” 

 

Jungeun sat up from the desk and closed her notebook. She made her way to the cafeteria to see Jiwoo standing outside of it.

 

“Jungie!”

 

“Jiwoo, did you wait long?”

 

Jiwoo shook her head. “I just got here.”

 

“Should we go in?” Jungeun extended her hand and Jiwoo took it, the both of them entering the cafeteria and getting food. 

 

“Did the doctors say anything new about your stay? Like anything about early release or anything?”

 

Jiwoo shook her head. “Nope. As it is right now, I’m still going to be here for about eight months.”

 

Jungeun hummed. “Do you ever get bored staying here?”

 

“Sometimes. But whenever I’m bored I go to the courtyard or I sometimes visit the kids. I also visit the old people! They’re fun to be with!”

 

“Everyday’s an adventure with you, huh?”

 

“Of course!” Jiwoo held up a fist. “I have to make the most of my life even if I’m in a hospital!”

 

Jungeun thought for a moment, then an idea came to her. “Hey, Wooming, how long can you be out of the hospital?”

 

“Hm?” Jiwoo tilted her head to the side in thought. “I’m not really sure, I’ll have to ask the doctor and nurses who take care of me.

 

“Mm, okay. Let me know! I think I might have an idea.”

 

The two of them finished their lunch and then parted ways, Jungeun walking back to the children’s ward.

 

“Jungeunie!” A little girl hugged her leg. “When will your girlfriend come back and sing with us!?”

 

Jungeun chuckled and pat her head. “I don’t know, do you guys want her to come back?”

 

The kids nodded. “Is she an idol!?”

 

Jungeun shook her head, “No, she’s not an idol, but if I remember, she said she wanted to become an idol! So when she does, we all have to support her, okay?”

 

They shouted in joy and clapped. 

 

“Okay, who wants to do their check up first?”

 

After finishing with the kids, she went back to the front desk, pulling out her phone to see a text from Jiwoo.

 

_ [jiwoo  _ _ 💞💞 _ _ ]: i asked my doctors and the said i could leave for a max of 3 hours! _

 

_ [jungeun]: great! Leave some time next thursday!  _

 

* * *

 

“So where are you taking me?”

 

“It’s a secret.” Jungeun glanced at Jiwoo before looking back at the road. 

 

Jiwoo pouted in the passenger seat. Jungeun had brought her a change of clothes, a fresh change from her hospital clothing. 

 

Jungeun powered on the radio and turned up the volume, the two of them singing along to whatever was on the radio. 

 

It didn’t take long for them to get to their destination, and once there, Jiwoo looked up. “The mall!?”

 

Jungeun nodded. “Yep! I thought we could have some fun here!”

 

Jiwoo let out a squeal and unbuckled her seatbelt, excitedly getting out of the car. Jungeun followed her out of the car and offered Jiwoo a hand. 

 

Hand in hand, they walked towards the entrance of the mall. They looked through several shops and made a stop for ice cream. 

 

“Come here, I’ll take you to where I really planned to take you!” Jungeun gently dragged Jiwoo past shops and around corners until they reached where Jungeun planned.

 

“An arcade!?”

 

Jungeun nodded, her smile wide as she watched how excited Jiwoo was. They both went in and bought some tokens. 

 

“So what game should we play first?”

 

“That one!” Jiwoo exclaimed as she pointed to where the skee ball machines were. 

 

Jungeun gave Jiwoo some tokens and they both played the game. When they finished, the tickets came out and Jungeun gave hers to Jiwoo. 

 

“What? You don’t want your tickets?”

 

Jungeun shook her head. “I want to give them to you.”

 

They played a few more games and got a lot more tickets. By the time they were done, Jiwoo was covered in tickets. They walked to the ticket counter and fed the tickets into the machines.

 

“Wahh! Jungie! We got six thousand tickets!” Jiwoo jumped and clapped her hands. Once the receipt came out, Jiwoo took it and skipped over to the prize counter. She gave the worker the receipt.

 

“Okay, looks like you can get any one of those stuffed animals!” She said, pointing to where the stuffed animals were hung.

 

Jungeun and Jiwoo looked at the stuffed animals. “The penguin looks like you, Jiwoo.”

 

“I’ll take the penguin then!” Jiwoo said to the worker. 

 

The worker gave them the stuffed penguin and they lugged it back to Jungeun’s car. Jiwoo set the penguin in the back seat and buckled it up. The time had passed faster than Jungeun had thought it would, and she was already missing spending time with Jiwoo. 

 

Once back at the hospital, Jiwoo carried her penguin all the way back to her room, and Jungeun went back to the dormitories and put on her coat. She checked the time. She didn’t need to check up on the kids yet. So she decided to hang out at the front desk.

 

* * *

“Happy five months, Jiwoo!” Jungeun hugged Jiwoo from behind, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

 

Jiwoo giggled and turned around to face Jungeun. “I’m so glad I spent the last five months with you, Jungeun.”

 

“Me too.” Jungeun released Jiwoo from her hold so that she could hold her hand, and they walked around the courtyard. 

 

They walked in silence, taking in their moment together. 

 

“Jungeun.” Jiwoo stopped in her tracks and turned to Jungeun. “I love you.”

 

Jungeun was taken aback. She thought she would have been the one to say it first, but she should’ve known when Jiwoo was the first to confess. She smiled. “I love you too, Jiwoo.

 

They continued their walk around the courtyard and Jungeun started noticing Jiwoo’s shortness of breath. “Jiwoo, are you okay? Let’s sit down.”

 

So they sat down. 

  
“I’m just. I’ve been tired these past few days.” Jiwoo tried to take a deep breath, but was interrupted by a coughing fit. She took out her handkerchief and coughed into it, and Jungeun swore she saw blood.

 

“Jiwoo, are you sure you’re okay?”

 

Jiwoo tried to nod through her coughing fit, but it just became harsher. And before Jungeun knew it, Jiwoo clutched her heart and fell onto the ground. 

 

“We need a stretcher!” Jungeun shouted as she checked Jiwoo’s pulse.

 

Once the stretcher came out, they lifted Jiwoo onto it and transferred her onto a gurney. 

 

“We were walking and she started coughing and then clutched her heart and fell. Pulse is at 192 bpm.” 

 

“Thank you, we’ll take it from here.” The doctor said. They wheeled her to the emergency room and began testing her. 

 

Jungeun waited outside the room for two hours before the doctor came out.

 

“How is she?” Jungeun asked, standing up from her seat.

 

“She’s fine for now, but she will have to go into surgery soon. Her arteries have been clogged again and it’s worse than the last time. We will have to operate within the next hour to have a chance at surviving for a while longer.”

 

“What?”

 

“She has congestive heart failure. It’s terminal. She doesn’t have much longer to live.”

 

The doctor left her and soon after, the nurses came out, the team being switched with the surgery team.

 

Jungeun took in a shaky breath and was about to sit, but her phone rang. It was Jinsoul.

 

“Jinsoul? What’s up?”

 

_ “Where are you, Jungeun? You’re supposed to be checking the kids.” _

 

“Oh shit! I’ll be there in a minute!” Jungeun began walking towards the children’s ward. “Sorry, I was in the ER because Jiwoo had a heart attack. She has to go to surgery soon.”   
  


_ “Jungeun…  I hope she gets through this.” _

 

“Yeah.” She hung up.

 

Four hours had passed and the kids weren’t able to take Jungeun’s thoughts away from Jiwoo. She didn’t know that Jiwoo was admitted into the hospital for something this serious. When she was done with the kids, she stood up, waving goodbye and telling them to be good. 

 

She walked back to where Jiwoo was having surgery to be met with Sooyoung and Kahei.

 

“What are you two doing here?” Jungeun asked.

 

The two of them shared a look before dropping their heads. 

 

“Sorry, Jungeun.” Sooyoung started, “The surgery finished a while ago. Jiwoo…. She didn’t make it.”

 

At that, Jungeun’s eyes began to water and she could feel the lump in her throat grow. She shook her head. “No, you’re joking with me.”

 

Kahei shook her head. “Jungeun… They tried their best, but she died while they were doing surgery.”

 

Jungeun dropped to her knees. “No, this can’t be.”

 

The other two went over to Jungeun and hugged her. Kahei spoke. “Jiwoo really did love you. You don’t know how much she talks about you.”

 

Jungeun looked up at them, tears streaming down her face. “You two knew huh. You two knew about her situation and you didn’t tell me. Why!?” She pushed the two away. “Why would you keep something like that from me!”

 

“We were respecting Jiwoo’s wishes, Jungeun!” Sooyoung snapped. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Jungeun could see that her eyes were wet with water. “She was our friend too, Jungeun. You don’t think we’re taking it hard too?”

 

“Sooyoung. Stop… We’re all affected. No one more than the other.” Kahei rubbed Sooyoung’s back. 

 

Jungeun’s breathing was shallow. She wiped her cheeks with her coat sleeve. They all cried in silence until they all calmed down. Sooyoung spoke up first.

 

“There’s some stuff in Jiwoo’s room that she left for you.” 

 

Hearing that, Jungeun raised her head.

 

“Come on.” Sooyoung said, a hand extended to raise her up.

 

The three of them walked to Jiwoo’s room, and Jungeun instantly was washed over with sadness again when she saw the stuffed penguin. She looked around the room, and when her eyes fell upon the night stand, she walked over to it.

 

She picked up a letter addressed to her and opened it, eyes scanning over Jiwoo’s handwriting.

 

_ Jungeun~ _

 

_ I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my illness. I wanted to make the most of the time I had left. I wanted to make good memories. I didn’t want you to count down the days that you had left with me. Honestly, Jungeun, before I met you, I didn’t think there was really a point in living when I knew I was going to die soon anyway. I love the kids and the old people are sweet, but nothing gave me a will to live more than you.  _

 

_ That day, when I met you, I felt like my heart was finally working normally again, even though I know it wasn’t. It was like you were my soulmate. Like you were meant for me. I’m just disappointed that I didn’t meet you sooner.  _

 

_ I love you, Jungeun, with every fiber of my being. And when I go, I want you to live a good life and find someone who you can give all your love to because I won’t be there anymore. Don’t dwell too much on me. Just know that I love you. Truly. I know that you love me too. _

 

_ And when you really miss me, hug the penguin that we got together at the arcade. I also want you to have the guitar too.  _

 

_ I’m glad I got to spend the last days of my life with you. If you are smiling at the thought of me sometimes, I won’t have any more regrets. Don’t forget me. _

 

_ Jiwoo. _

 

Jungeun broke again. She sat on the bed and cried. She didn’t bother to wipe her tears because they’d just come back again. She held the letter to her heart and cried. 

 

“Jungeun…” Kahei placed a hand on her shoulder. “She also left this for you.”

 

Jungeun looked up to see Kahei holding out a usb. She took it and put it in her coat pocket; she’d look through it later. 

 

* * *

 

A few days later, Jungeun finally came back to work after taking some time off. It felt normal. The kids were happy and bright. The other doctors were sleep deprived as always. The nurses greeted her. But Jiwoo wasn’t here. 

 

When she got on her break, she went back to the residency wing and plugged the USB in. She hadn’t found it in her yet to look through it. 

 

She opened it and found only an mp3 file. She clicked it and listened to it.

 

 _“Uh, is this recording? I think it is.”_ _Jiwoo laughed. “Hey Jungie! I wanted this to be a gift to you, so it was a secret!”_

 

Jungeun’s breath hitched when she heard the nickname.

 

_ “I told you I wanted to be a singer, right? So, I wrote a song for you! It was a little difficult but I did it! Whenever you miss me, listen to this song. It’s called ‘Twilight.’” Jiwoo took a deep breath before strumming her guitar and singing. _

 

_ “Ttaseuhaetdeon geu songil, budeureoun moksori, neo eopshin jamdeul su eopseo~ Oh baby, baby changgae, deuriwojin dalbitmajeodo, neo gata, neo gata Oh baby, baby I can’t sleep~” _

 

Jungeun listened to the whole song, her eyes watering and throat closing up again. 

 

_ “This is dedicated to you, Jungeun. I love you.” _

 

Jungeun broke into tears, sniffling and wiping away the tears. She spent the rest of her break time sitting at her laptop, replaying the file over and over again.

**Author's Note:**

> im sorry lmao i really have nothing to say other than i hurt myself before i hurt you so that's that. don't forget to comment or stuff!


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